Annual Sarasota Events:
Each January brings Sarasota County Arts Day, a community-wide celebration of the local artists on the streets of downtown.

In March, The Opera Pazzia International Festival is sponsored by the Sarasota Opera Association and attracts opera-lovers from near and far. The Sarasota Jazz Festival also celebrates in March. The week-long musical extravaganza customarily features greats in blues, ragtime, swing, big-band music and more. Project Black Cinema sponsors their International Film Festival the third week of the month.

April brings the popular Florida Winefest & Auction to the Resort at Longboat Key Club. It's the third largest wine auction in the United States. The Sarasota Film Festival brings us new creative cinematic endeavors of all types. It's a good opportunity to explore the traditional, the avant-garde or to discover new talent. And keep a lookout for the international chamber music festival presented by La Musica in Sarasota.

In early July the Venice Art Center sponsors the American Indian Cultural Appreciation Week. You'll find the Children's Storybook Playhouses, which are held at the Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota. Also featured during the month is the Selby Botanical Gardens Plant Fair. Not many can resist the Christmas in July Sidewalk Sale on Venice's Main Street. The Black Heritage Festival comes to the Venice Art Center later in July, bringing its special crafts, culture and more.

During August you'll find the Annual Children's Day at Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota. The Ukranian Heritage Festival rolls into the Venice Art Center for a few fun-filled days, followed by the Venice Sharks Tooth & Seafood Festival, also held in that city. Later, the Greek Cultural Heritage Festival arrives at the Venice Art Center.

In October, the Downtown Sarasota Fall Festival fills the streets. The St. Armand's Circle Art Festival is also a popular cultural happening in the area. Longboat Key hosts the delectable Annual Stone Crab, Seafood & Wine Festival. Young and old alike look forward to the Venice Halloween Parade along Main Street.

November hosts several noteworthy events, including the annual Crystal Classic World Championship Sand Sculpting Contest, and the Annual Cine-World Film Festival in Sarasota, which premieres leading international works from around the globe. The Sarasota Comedy Festival offers a variety of amusing events to tickle your funny bone, while the Venice Art Fest along Main Street will appeal to your cultural side. You'll sing blues in the night at the Sarasota Blues Fest. The Fall Plant Fair at Selby Gardens is guaranteed to put some green into your life. The Sarasota Reading Festival is a dynamic, family-oriented event that celebrates the importance and fun of reading. Does sampling delicious foods and live entertainment while benefiting a local food charity sound too good to be true? Here, it's known as A Taste of Sarasota. Another event is the Selby Botanical Gardens-sponsored Sarasota Rose Society Show & Sale.

December is ushered in by the Venice Downtown Christmas Walk. You can travel back to old-time Florida with Pioneer Days at Crowley Museum & Nature Center in Sarasota. The Venice Boat Parade of Lights is an unforgettable shining spectacle in the sea. The county's final fabulous march of the season is the Sarasota Downtown Holiday Parade. The city of Sarasota also holds its own scintillating Boat Parade of Lights to welcome in the holidays. Heritage Holidays at Historic Spanish Point features living history vignettes throughout mid-December. Then the cheer of the season comes marching down Main Street in the Venice Holiday Parade.